The grittiness and simplicity of Tree is what gets me. This isn't to say however that Tree is unpolished or basic. What I am getting at is there aren't any excesses in their music. Tree's new release Splitting Branches reflects a deliberateness applied to every aspect of their sound. I enjoy the rough around the edge quality that accents Nickell's voice and artful verse recitation. Go listen to "Pieces of What" by MGMT after Tree if you don't get what I am talking about.
Now for some background. Tree is the moniker of 19 year old bay artist, Oliver Nickell. Showing some ambition Nickell put together Tree Collaborations, a rotating art collective based out of San Francisco. Tree Collaborations bridges the fields of music, art, film, animation, and even fashion. Hit up their website. A testament to the the collectives creativity is the music video for "Tully" below. In the future look for a Splitting Branches remix compilation. Additionally, the debut EP will drop in April containing an undisclosed cover of one of Tree's favorite groups. In the meantime, Splitting Branches will be looping here at Bochi as I am sure it will be for a lot of you. We have a lot to look forward to from Tree and his collective.
Astronauts, Etc.
Astronauts, Etc. has returned with a new original titled "Sideswiped." Supermelodic Pulp was the last we heard from Astronauts (with the exception of a few recent covers) and marked one of the more significant releases of the fall. The EP contained "You Can Yell" and "Mystery Colors," which both deservedly received solid coverage in the blogosphere. 22 year old Berkeley student Anthony Ferraro is the man behind Astronauts, Etc. In addition to Astronauts, Ferraro is a part of The Lawlands and Ash Reiter. In customary fashion Ferraro released an accompanying video that compliments the single extremely well. The calming cityscape of San Francisco meshes well with the Ferraro's voice. A haunting, brilliant single from Astronauts, Etc. that expands on his already impressive repertoire.
The West
The West delivers an uplifting tune with "Wild Hearts." The West are comprised of a strong front-woman and as band member Brandon Leslie says, "a few guys to balance out the mix." The chorus of "Wild Hearts" boasts a catchy hook that proves difficult to resist mouthing along. The West have recently released a self-titled EP and have a video with director Danny Iglesias (The Neighbourhood) lined up for the summer. In a scene and genre where it becomes difficult to distinguish one indie group from another, The West firmly establish themselves through thoughtful songwriting and a bit of infectious twang.
Boys Get Hurt One of Bochi Crew's first posts highlighted the talented Hannah Georgas and her track "Enemies." Over the summer my speakers were bumping "Enemies" nearly everyday when I returned home from work. Boys Get Hurt are a duo based out of Tokyo set on recapturing the fleeting days of summer. Supposedly they have thrown some sick dance parties in Tokyo called "Summer House." Great tune. Cleindl Like Boys Get Hurt, Cleindl hails from Tokyo. A friend of mine actually went to high school and is good friends with Cleindl. Hardly a track meet went by last spring where Cleindl's remix of "People Help the People" wasn't on the pre-race playlist. Posted below is his most recent release, "Hold Me Close" as well as a rework of Chris Brown's "Don't Wake Me Up." LAKIM Philadelphia's LAKIM makes some drastic changes to A$AP's "Long Live A$AP," with great results. LAKIM...
Normally I am not one for remixes, but I have had to make some exceptions recently for groups like Religion and now The Chainsmokers. These guys first caught my gaze with their tremendous rehash of Jonsi's "Around Us." If you can take a song by arguably one of the most talented and creative musicians and completely turn it on its head, then I think there is something to be said there. The Chainsmokers just dropped a remix of Little Daylight's "Overdose." Their decision to hone in on "Overdose" stems from the duo hearing the song at a party, looking it up, and then asking Little Daylight for permission. The original garnered considerable buzz and I am sure the remix will follow suit. Happy Listening! Don't forget to get that free download!
Derbyshire's Haiku Salut have just released an animated video for "Glockelbar." The last feature we ran on the trio praised the release of "Los Elefantes." "Glockelbar" stems from the same, tranquil vein that has come to represent Haiku Salut. They land somewhere between Message to Bears and Múm . According to the trio, their newest "chronicles the race to death using only an accordion, a glockenspiel and a glitch plug-in." The video, animated and produced by Mitsuo Toyama , portrays a sleeping boy greeted by a giraffe at his window before being taken on a sleepy ride through the cosmos. I couldn't help but be reminded of the Little Prince. Both "Los Elefantes" and "Glockenbar" are featured on the new album, Tricolore . Do yourself and the band a favor by picking it up here !
Comments
Post a Comment